Grim Tales: Motherhood
by Marth141
Summary: After starting to write this project, I've become very interested in Mandy's journey into motherhood. This originally began as my own way of patching things that were otherwise implied through the story. Trying to add more depth if you will.
1. Chapter 1

Grim Tales from Down Below

A bit of a Prelude

Update – 11/24/2011: Alrighty, kind of pushing this one out. This next scene may undergo some revision within future edits. I'm still playing around the entire concept and idea of what to do. But, I felt this was a good stopping point and I was satisfied with the grammar and reviews. Hope you continue to enjoy this and please, I love any feedback.

Author's Note: For all intents and purposes, this is fan-fiction based off a wonderful comic based off an amazing TV show. I do not own any of these characters and nor do I intend for this to devolve into degenerate romance between two characters with nothing in regards to each other. This is strictly for me to be able to piece up something that I felt should have had a little more attention. Hope you enjoy it.

A castle stood upon a mountain encompassed by the despair and doom of the very depths of hell. Before this behemoth of luxurious death, emerged a gate. A gate of which could only be viewed as portal of which seemed to contain all the despair and fear around what is considered "passing". Emerging from this gate were two figures. One a fair, beautiful maiden whose very presence was enough to tuck the tail between the legs of any foul beast the very netherworld could ever hope to muster up. Her long, bright-yellow hair reached just past her waist. Her hair seemed to accentuate every curve of her body, the perfect back-dropping shadow for a beautifully cruel and dark woman.

Next to her a figure whose features left much to be desired. A simple figure of which looked to be on the verge of falling apart. He was bone, quite literally from head to toe and garbed in a black robe. Very plain for this day and age. In his hand he carried the only tool needed to bring any hint of recognition to this very "grim" figure. In his hand, a long and fearsome scythe. He is the one to never be lost to the culture of man as he defines it. His legacy is long; as long as the universes have existed. His presence known everywhere.

The two figures seemed to compliment each other very well as they stood in this gloomy landscape. One who is not much to look at, the other being a sight to behold. In the woman's arms a child. The child too seemed to look quite like the skeleton figure who stood next to the woman. He was suckling his mother's tit, for what purpose was unknown as this child was dead. Perhaps it is instinct with all babies and perhaps with mothers as well. Though this mother seemed like the most unlikely candidate for parenthood. In fact, this rather unusual couple were the last people you'd expect to see as parents.

"Welcome home, Mandy." The skeletal figure spoke, digging his scythe's base into the rock beneath them, shaking the very ground on which they stood. The mouth of the skeleton themed castle had slowly begun to open, further rattling the mountain they stood on. The quakes seemed not to disturb the three.

"Not bad, Grim." The woman spoke, a tone more pessimistic than happy for a couple that had just came home for the first time in weeks since having, or rather said, losing a child. A rather, paradoxical thing if I do say so myself.

"It's rather disappointing. I still had always figured a bone head like yourself would not have a home quite like this." Her snide remarks would have put anyone away from this woman. Except for Death itself.

"Well Mandy... I don't tink I'm all dat worthless. I am the Grim Reaper. Of course I'd have a wonderful home."

"Nothing but a Jamaican bag of bones. Let's just get inside. I'm tired of this child already. Is there a nanny or something I could dump this kid onto?"

"Not at the moment. I figured we'd try the whole parenting thing first." Grim sounded disappointed. Ever since marrying Mandy he had been anticipating children. From day one Mandy had already discussed her policy on kids. The policy ultimately being that they were not having kids. After much debating, Grim had managed to convince her into at least one child. He was slowly going to move onto the battlefield for another, if this child turned out alright.

They stepped into the Grand Hall of The Castle Grim. The castle life, is one life that Mandy felt she was entitled to. Her tastes have always been expensive and luxurious. Because of, she would land Billy, a young neighbor boy of whom she shared most of her childhood with, Grim, and Herself in many adventures.

"Grim, I'm tired. Take the child and take care of it. You have nothing better to do anyways. I'll be resting in the first room I find, which by the way, will be my room." She had thrown the child to Grim as though it were a thing you buy in the store and can easily be replaced. Grim caught the child hastily, of which instance it began to cry, "Make sure to shut the thing up. This place has a terrible echo."

"Careful girl!" Grim growled "This is our child!"

Mandy turned quick on her heels at the end of the hallway, "Correction Grim, this is your child. I told you before, I do not want children. It's your problem not mine." She began an ascent upstairs toward Grim's room. Which, is ultimately to be expected. After years of abuse, it wasn't likely anything was going to change with marriage.

Grim had sighed, beginning to cradle the baby. Little to his knowledge, this child would start his life crying and funny enough, begin his destiny the same way.

* * *

><p>It had been a year since the couple had came home. Mandy had slowly began to develop a little bit of a motherly attention to the child. But she had kept most of the parenting duty on Grim. For the past year she had conditioned herself to get back to work as a hit-woman. Having quit her job as Mayor due to maternity leave and the utter regard that the job was boring to her.<p>

Mandy had just returned from her job and was sitting in the study. No light, other than that of the fire place. The new nanny had just put Junior to sleep, giving Grim the chance to shuffle into the study rather than care for the baby. Tired from his own job and the nanny not always being there in the castle, had caused Grim to still be recovering from sleepless nights taking care of Junior. Grim took a large red chair across the black brick of the fireplace from Mandy. Slipping tiredly into the chair with a sigh.

His wife looked up from her book on magics and combat tactics. Her stare as disinterested as ever. As though she knew everything the book had to teach but out of utter boredom she continued to read it. They sat there for a few minutes before she asked, her eyes still fixed on the book, "What do you want, Grim?"

*Grim chuckled tiredly, nervously, "Well Mandy, I wanted to ask about," He was a bit hesitant. Already expecting a war with this conversation and really wanting to avoid it with how tired he was. In his hesitation, Mandy picked up on the conversation.

"You want another child?" She sighed, closing her book and folding one leg over the other "I thought you'd be asking me about this. All I can say is: Look, you already have one child. In this moment, you and I both know you're working like a dog. Something I would expect that you're use to, considering you've lived as my slave for my childhood. You'd just be working harder with two kids. You can't expect me to take care of them."

"Well," he paused "Yes, dat is exactly it actually." Grim was a bit sullen. He began to massage his temples, gathering his thoughts before asking his next question, "I'm just tinking Junior will get lonely. I also figured dat you might like a living child rather den a dead one."

"Grim, I told you, I hate children. A living child would be much more of a pain than a dead one. What is the worst that Junior does? Barf up ectoplasm and cry at the sight of his own shadow. If we had a living child, you'd be back to Saliva and Milkshake's bathroom duty all over again. You know you hated those jobs."

"What if she were to be in your image?"

"She?" Mandy seemed a bit intrigued. The first time in the past year she was actually intrigued by something, "Well who in particular would be able to share my likeness well enough to actually allow for a child like that?"

"I'm not sure. You're a one of a kind person. Cynical, pessimistic, violent, and smart. You and I both know there are no mortals back home like that."

"Nergal," she looked up from her book "he could be the father and produce a child exactly like me."

Grim's face had went from almost excitement over the possibility of a second child, to total disgust over the idea that he or she may be Nergal's child. Grim was beginning to despise the fact that he himself was dead. It was impossible for him to have a child. He was reluctant with Junior. Turning his wife over to someone else for a one night stand for the sake of getting pregnant and then having a very late term abortion made him disgruntled. It was the fact that she was sleeping with someone else that upset him the most.

"I want the entire Nergal family to keep out of this family Mandy." Grim growled, the fire place had begun to burn with a ferocity equaled to Grim's own fury of having a Nergal in the family. He could already imagine it. He was seeing a young, nerdy looking child, going around possessing people and getting into trouble. Then having to have many disgusting visits with Nergal and Nergal Junior. Grim was expecting to have just one more visit with Nergal then eventually getting Nergal Junior.

"Well Grim, I guess you just are not having a second child. Junior will grow up alone and turn out just the same as Nergal Junior. Awkward, alone, a nuisance to his fellow children. Of course, he won't be a Nergle Demon, that's something to be proud of. If you call a child like that something to be prideful over."

Grim began grumbling to himself as he began to march away, "Hear me girl, you will want another child to keep Junior company, lest he be bothering you all the time simply because you're his mother. He'll expect you to love him the same way Jeff expected Billy to love him." Grim slammed the door to the study, knocking over a few old trinkets from back in the day. She could hear Grim giving a frantic sob and running to his new room. She sighed, got up from her chair, and started picking up the objects. A few were books, but it was the pictures that fell that struck her.

They were old, dusty. Things she never expected to see again. Nor did she want to see. They were all stupid to her. Things of a past life gone, a powerless life she despised simply for the fact that she was powerless. The only reason she kept Grim was because he was an outlet for power, of whom, she could use as she pleased. Funny how she ended up marrying him.

She wiped off a bit of dust on the pictures, revealing an old picture of her mother and father. She had a scowl, even at the age of 3. Her parents were beginning to get a fear of her. It wasn't until she was 6 that she spent most of her time at Billy's home, exploiting him for a few years until Grim came along. At the same time her parents were relieved to see her gone.

She thought for a while about what Grim said, as well as the picture she held in her hands. It went against her nature to give a care unless it were for selfish desire or gain of some sort. She knew that she was out of touch with her emotions and preferred things to stay that way. Though, she felt slight remorse over the idea that she didn't know her own parents well. Though, that also could have just been a regret that she did not torture them enough. Remembering Jeff be completely obsessive over a father that hated him seemed pathetic to her. The idea that her own child would turn out the same way almost disgusted her.

She squeezed the space between her brow in frustration. She wanted to be as little a parent as possible. This path was beginning to look as though it were not going to happen one way or another.

* * *

><p>"Nergal, we have some business to settle!" Grim shouted, emerging in a pillar of green flames. He stood in the center of the earth, in Nergal's home. The home was drab to say the least, but for a cave in side of earth, it seemed livable. Nergal was sitting at the end of a long table, his elbows rested on it holding up his own head.<p>

"Grim, Grim, a pleasure to see you again," he chuckled ominously "Old friend." There was a tension in the air as the magma around the core of the earth shifted around, "To what do I owe this visit Grim? Care for some hot cocoa?"

"Cut the garbage Nergal. You and I both know why I'm here. I would never visit you if this didn't need to happen."

"Oh but of course Grim." Nergal stood up, pushing his chair back into his seat and marching across the red rock of his home, "But you and I both know that is not the only reason why you're here. You've came to strike a deal, of which I am no part of."

"What do you mean Nergal? What deal?" Grim seemed a bit puzzled by this. As far as he knew, this was business as usual. Just reaping the soul of a long over-due demon is all.

"Oh? So you mean Mandy did not tell you?" A smile began to stretch across Nergal's face, "I'm sure a life altering decision like child birth would be something she'd talk with you about."

"Alright Nergal, what on earth are you talking about?" Grim demanded, pointing a finger at him.

"Well where do I begin Grim," Nergal shrugged, eventually getting close enough to Grim to see his reflection in the scythe blade. He took up another seat at the large table and sat down, taking a sip of his cocoa.

"The other night Grim," he began "Mandy came over to consult with me about having a child. Apparently you and her had a scuffle about it a while back. She said it was nothing more than just you two talking. In any case," he took another sip "Mandy was wondering if I could be a provider of proper phenotypes and possible genotypes to create a child in her image. Of course, I am perfectly capable of such a feat." His face, became a bit dour, "But you and I both know I'm married. Unlike you, I'm not willing to have my wife cheat, nor do I plan to do the same."

"Cut to the chase before I cut off your head Nergal!" Grim yelled. Clearly offended by the statement, "You both know I cannot have kids!"

"Of course Grim, it goes against your nature. If you would let me continue, I could finish and we'll be right on our way to the underworld." Nergal set down the empty cup "Now Junior, my Junior, has been single for the last while. He hasn't had much interest in dating at the moment. Creating more Nergal Demons is not something you just play with. Hence why I only have one child. Though, she requested that Junior be the surrogate-father. Junior will have nothing to do with the child unless permission be given and she'll try to start the whole mothering thing."

"So, den what is going on right now."

"Creation Grim. You'll have a daughter in a few months who will be an exact image of Mandy. Lets hope that 'charming' personality does not come out with it." The tension seemed to die a bit.

Well Grim, I'm sure you have business to attend to, getting the home ready for another child. So lets get this reaping on with shall we?"

Grim's face was locked in frustration. He raised his scythe above his head.

"Before we do this Grim, let me tell you now that by slaying me, this will not ensure that this be the last time we meet." Nergal gave his trademarked dark smile.

The cut was swift, the satisfaction great. Though, it left much more to be desired. An entire family perhaps? Grim's exit was as easy and swift as the execution. He was off to find Mandy.

* * *

><p>Mandy was still a bit tired from her recent "one-night stand". Nergal Jr. was passed out next to her. It made her relieved that she was able to leave easily without having to put up with much of any post-coitus talking. She started getting cleaned up and dressed a bit hastily. She looked back at Nergal Jr. The passion of it all was satisfying to say the least. Much better than the random mortal she found in order to have Junior. She sighed, letting her hair back down and leaving silently. She had begun walking down a street in the middle of Endsville. The old town had not changed. Things were the same though many of the anomalous activity that use to go on seemed to have stopped. There was one person she wanted to visit though, as well as one person who she knew would show up in the same spot.<p>

The Endsville graveyard. It seems to have expanded more ever since Mandy removed Grim as her best friend then eventually marrying him. The grave of Irwin stood atop a hill. Despite Mandy's overall dislike of him, her first order as mayor was to relocate his grave. Next to Irwin's is the grave of Billy. It was kind of nice, having both graves atop a hill for easy sight of where they are. As she stood over the graves, she couldn't help but to look up at the large tree looming over them. Keeping the grass around the stones shaded, moist, and green.

For her closest friends, they seemed so far away from her now. As she stood there looking at the headstones, she couldn't help but feel a longing for her own childhood again, despite her hate for it. It was another of those conflicting feelings she hated dealing with.

A looming shadow had made itself present to her as a skeletal hand rested on her shoulder. There was a silence been her and the lover behind her. They both stood there for a long time...

"Mandy, I tink we should go." Grim said, rubbing her shoulder. Mandy, for the most part, seemed lost in her own world of nostalgia. Her hand twitched slightly, as though slapping someone. Perhaps a reflex brought on by her vivid memories of Irwin and Billy. Of, everyone for that matter. There were so many people. Sadly none of the good ones lived.

Mandy, turned and stepped away from the Graves. Descending down the hill, "Grim, we will be having another kid soon. Tell the nanny to make arrangements for a girl. Now, let's go home."

Grim nodded, with a smile and a furrowed brow, "She's not a Nergal Demon is she?"

"What do you think bone head?"

* * *

><p>"Alright Junior, who do you want to be with today?"<p>

The question from his father seemed a little much for a two year old, though Junior had been developing faster than most Ghouls his age. He was presented the choice of Grim, Mandy, or MiniMandy. Minnie had already began to become one of his least favorites and at such an young age at that. Mandy, happened to be the apple of his eye. He loved his Mother. If actually given a moment to actually pick favorites, Junior would pick his mother first, second grim, and Minnie third. However, Minnie's position was in competition with the Nanny.

The young Junior pointed to his mother, giving an unintelligible but audible, "Mama."

Mandy frowned, shooting a look toward Grim and beckoning him to the kitchen. Upon entering she began her small explosion, saying, "Grim, I specifically had the girl in order to keep him away from me. This whole idea of yours is backfiring and I'm getting tempted to leave him in some remote part of the underworld or of earth for the sake of keeping his frequent sobs gone."

Grim leaned on the counter in the grand kitchen. The zombie chefs were off for the day, so the place is clean comparably to what it usually is. Grim pounded his fingertips on the counter before speaking, "Well Mandy, dat is part of being a parent mon. I think I told you before dat you cannot be a parent and expect your kids to ignore you." He sighed, "The same way you ignored your parents all de time."

"They're part of me Grim, shouldn't they hate everything or something?"

"How can you be so naïve?"

Mandy pulled Grim down by his collar, looking him straight into the eyes, "I am far from naïve Grim. I told you before, I hate kids. I do not want kids. In all respects, they're yours."

"Oh no," Grim backed away waving his hands, "No, no, no, no. Dey are our kids and you got to learn to take some responsibility and put up wit de little brats. Just like I had to put up with you and Billy."

She smacked Grim's head off and growled, "That was different Grim."

"How on Earth so?" Grim shouted, picking his head back up, "I was constantly cleaning up after Billy and you. If you had a nose and were half as potty-trained, it would have been the same difference."

Mandy turned, taking her leave, grumbling to herself. Muttering something about showing how responsible she can be. She could Mayor a town, that's cool. So now she could definitely handle kids. Up until now though, she would usually leave her kids with a Nanny or with a baby sitter of some sort. This would be a first for her actually spending a moment with her kids. There was one saving grace in all this, and that grace being that Minnie was beginning to look more independent than her brother.

"Alright Junior." Mandy struggled to strike a smile "You're going to be with mommy today."

A large smile came across Junior's face. He came toddling to his mother with excitement and embraced her leg. She shuddered in something of disgust. The thought that she had several years of this didn't sit well with her. She wanted to simply just leave him by himself to allow him to shape up in some sort of way. Though, Grim didn't seem like he would ever let up on this "You need to grow up and become a parent." issue.

"And don't tink I won't know when you give him to the baby-sitters." Grim said from the kitchen door way, pointing to his eyes, "Trust me girl, I'll know." He said, with a heavy emphasis on I. Which made Mandy roll her "I"s.

"I'll prove to you then, bone head, that raising a kid is not all as hard as you make it out to be. In fact, I'll even teach him to take care of himself so I don't even need to deal with him."

"Suit yourself," Grim shrugged, "As long as you two are spending time wit each other. Now if you'll excuse me," Grim sliced a rift open in the fabric of space "I'm taking Minnie to go soul fishing."

"Isn't she a little too young for that, Grim?"

"You won't believe what that young girl caught, why, just the other day, I believe it was sunny, me and her-"

"Yeah, you're done. Come on Junior, lets get out of here before he starts rambling about his favorite show tunes."

"Keeper of the Reaper was a good one you know!" Grim called from within the castle as Mandy and Junior made a hasty escape from the castle.

* * *

><p>"Alright, Junior, here are the rules with, Mommy." Her face puckered as though she had just tasted something sour "One, you do not make any noise. Mandy, likes her quiet. 2. Do not get into trouble. 2A, trouble will be defined as anything that requires <em>my <em>assistance. 3..."

Her list of rules seemed to drag on. As Mandy began to revel in her rule setting, Junior, had began to take off. Immediately breaking rule 2 and soon to break rule 2A. Considering the castle stood on a mountain that hadn't been baby-proofed yet, Junior had begun to make his way toward a cliff edge. He was overly too oblivious of danger. In fact, in the few moments where him and Minnie were ever together, Minnie would be the one saving Junior. The younger sibling saving the older sibling. Grim always felt the boy needed to man up a little more. However, considering how "manly" Grim is, Mandy figured he wasn't the right "man" for the job.

"Rule 21, No vanilla pudding under any circumstance, I absolutely detest-" Mandy finally got off her high horse, looking toward where Junior once was, then looking to see his small toddler body begin to make its way toward a cliff edge. She had a sinking feeling, that feeling where you feel you made a bet with someone and no more than 5 seconds later, you've already lost the bet.

"Fuck you, Grim!" Mandy shouted as she chased after Junior.

Junior was just about to march off the cliff edge when he, comedically enough, stopped as Mandy flew off and down the cliff edge. A string of obscenities like that which have never been uttered before in the underworld echoed far across the mountain range. Mandy, was able to catch herself on the cliff side. She began to growl as though the entire universe was against her. Slowly, she began clawing her way up the cliff side, "Fuck you, Grim, fuck you, Junior, fuck you, Minnie, fuck you Lord Pain for not being god damn here to baby-sit, fuck you, Hoss Delgado..." The list went on.

Junior began to descend down the side of the mountain, passing Mandy's peripheral view. She was beginning to get the feeling she was in a bad comedy. One where the humor wasn't very funny. It was rather boring and painful. She began to claw her way across the cliff side toward Junior, shouting, "Get back here you brat!" Junior had stopped moving momentarily, as Mandy climbed up the cliff face and grabbed him.

"You broke rule number two and two subsection A." Her anger reaching a feverish point, "I should really just throw you over this cliff edge and-"

No sooner were they united and Mandy was about to verbally vent at the poor tot, a phoenix swept over, taking Junior and flying off. This really was becoming a poorly written comedy. As Mandy began screeching more obscenities, she began to realize that the phoenix was a bit familiar. She stopped, putting her arms down to her side and starting to give a little thought. She went rushing back into the castle.

Grim had already left with Minnie and the home was as cold and barren as ever. Mandy began digging for whatever old picture books Grim had kept. On the topic of "manliness", him and Billy, while Billy was still alive, had a habit of scrap booking. Something Billy's mother had gotten them started on while they were complaining about boredom. They both went a little crazy with the concept and like all other things involving Grim and Billy, it would eventually involve Mandy and somehow she would have to clean up the mess with little help from Grim and with Billy working against her.

"It's almost like the entire universe is working against now." Mandy grumbled as she dug through Grim's trunk. She gave a sigh of relief, pulling the old ScrapBook/Journal from the chest. The book was covered in dust and had an awful old stench to it. Much like most of Grim's things. A metal reconstruction of Grim's face was mounted to the book, staring at her from the cover. After all these years, still in-tact

Mandy looked back in the trunk, to see if she is missing anything. Besides the usual shrunken heads and other cursed objects and precursors to abominations, she couldn't see anything else. Grim had only recently began work on this old scrapbook after the kids came around. There was a gap of time in the book, from when Billy finally passed and Grim married Mandy. She threw it open, searching through the time when she was still a child. There was a name of a particular woman she was looking for. Someone she disposed of a long time ago and thought was out of her hair. Looking through it she found and old clipping of a cereal box.

"Eris-zona... Eris." Mandy grumbles, "I suppose you can't kill the god of chaos but I was certain I removed that woman from my life." Mandy closed the tome. She placed it on a table for easier access the next time she needed it while also closing the trunk.

"That phoenix was here in the underworld and proceeding west. Going that way, I'll find the bitch, save the brat, and dump it on Grim when he comes home." She went to her room, digging out her .50 caliber pistols. Loading a clip of enchanted bullets she left the castle heading West. After the phoenix and Junior.

* * *

><p>Over the horizon an old abandoned complex began to show against the harsh hellish light. Mandy recognized the complex as it was when she was a child. There were clear signs of the building being over-run by hell's plant-life. There were tree branches reaching out of the building and to the sky. The branches almost looked like the ground was grabbing the building. A light shined softly in the top floor of the building. There phoenix feathers scattered about the ground around the building. It was possible that the phoenix is let out every so often to just fly around the building. The one problem Mandy was having is that if Eris was rising within the building, she would have cleaned it up. Not only that, but why would she use an old building? Eris was a God, she could change everything.<p>

She pulled down the branches at the reception room of the building. They crashed down into a pile of ash, like most plant-life in hell after long periods of time and if it undergoes extreme stress. Her foot steps echoed as she stepped into the building. An old musky scent had filled the air of the building. It was clear the piping in the building was damaged and that the structural integrity was no longer the best. Such is most things that reside in hell, a quick decomposition. Different from how things are on Earth.

"If it weren't for Grim and his god damn rules, I would not be risking my god damn skin for this god damn kid. It's his kid anyways, he wanted it in the first place." Mandy grumbled as she marched up a myriad of depreciated steps. Many of the steps had collapsed out from under her. She was fast enough to have moved onto the next few steps before another broke under her. The entire complex was eerie. Something about all of this, at least for Mandy, did not feel right. Hell none of this, especially with Eris involved, is not right. Mandy, was even starting to doubt that any of this was Eris at all. Eris had an eccentric dealing over just about everything. She was way off the rocker and completely out of the coo-coo nest and had somehow miraculously escaped the asylum. This entire scene, this setting, this building, was wrong. The whole musky scent of mold and depreciating floor boards. The ugly darkness, the solemn, colorless, creaking building was just so out of place from Eris's fashion.

"This isn't Eris..." Mandy said under her breath as she entered another hallway. She was close to the floor she believed she saw the light. Right up in the executive office, the top floor. She could faintly hear Junior crying so this was a sure sign of it.

Mandy had sneaked close to the door, her feet taking ever so light and soft steps on the old and decrepit floor. She had her pistols held up at her shoulders. The glistening body of metal was warm to touch, as though the weapons were a part of her. They very well should have been. She loved them, possibly more than, Grim. However, Mandy's love is not our concern here. She planned to go in with a bang. Surprising her prey, rescuing her undead child, and slaying the abomination in what would decidedly be a fast movement. After having kids, she had her doubt that she may be a little rusty. But a woman like her doesn't have time to dwell on doubt.

She holstered one of her weapons, her heart-beginning to beat faster, her breathing as controlled as a pianist over his piano. She waited, the time seemed to drag. The scene kept running out in her head. She took a breath, kicking in the door and firing a shoot square into the head of a small blonde girl. Junior tumbled to the ground before breaking out into a crying fit. Mandy's hands seemed to shake a bit, it has been a while since she had done that and the adrenaline rush was getting to her. She took a deep breath before moving toward Junior quickly and picking him into her arm.

"Alright, who the hell are you because you sure as hell aren't a mortal." Mandy said, the cold steel of the gun barrel pointed straight at the girl's head. There was a soft giggle. Quiet, subtle, almost as though this were kind of a game but not necessarily. Almost as though Mandy had came to the first culmination of this entire kidnapping event, and her journey through the woods had just begun.

The girl stood up, brushing off her blood stained dress. Rubbing the wound softly. As though dragging out and reveling in the moment. She straightened her toga-like dress and looked right up at Mandy, "Hello, Mandy," She stood there smiling, as though expecting some sort of reaction. For Mandy, this wasn't the first time she had her name known by someone she didn't know. Mandy was unmoved and as cold as ever. She had even forgot Junior was still sobbing. Her only goal was to get out and never encounter this ugly, blonde, child again.


	2. Chapter 2

Grim Tales

A bit of Prelude

Chapter 2

Due to bad circumstances, my laptop failed. I haven't been able to update since then, so I had begun rewriting chapter 2. I intend for it to be better than the original. This current update, I had promised for Christmas, and the end of this week. Well it's an hour after, and my time has been swallowed by a lot of stuff, leaving this chapter largely unfinished. So, I suppose this will be chapter 2A and so on so forth until I get up to where I believe a good chapter 3 would be.

* * *

><p>Mandy had her gun pointed toward the blonde child. The tension in the air seeming to reach a breaking point. Mandy pulled back her gun, cradling her baby at a distance from the girl. Mandy narrowed her eyes and asked in her icy voice, "Who exactly are you, girl. You have a lot of nerve to kidnap the child of Death himself and his just as dangerous wife. I don't suppose you value your life at all."<p>

"Do you value that baby at all?" the girl retorted.

"Of course not. Worse choice I've ever made." Mandy growled.

"So why do you keep the child?"

"I made a bet." Mandy answered simply, with a shrug, "and I don't lose bets."

"Neither does the reaper. You beat him. My 'mommy' told me so." The girl made small air quotes.

"Who the hell are you, tell me before I make you tell me." Mandy lowered the gun's sights, focusing between the young girl's eyes.

"My name is Harmonia. I'm sure that's all you'll need to know in any case. I've been studying you after learning what happened to my mother. My father became a useless and eventually dead, bum. What I'm doing with you, is making another bet. I'll bet that you'll never learn to love these rascals without my help. You'll-" The young girl's speech was abruptly cut off due to Mandy's already short fuse of patience burning out.

"You get out of here. Never bother me again."

Harmonia gave something of a twisted smile. A familiar gap was between her front teeth. She had yet to grow in a tooth but it looked like a stub was there. Harmonia began to walk toward the windows. Mandy's patience, now at a boiling point, began firing more shots at the girl. They rang through the complex like church bells in an abandoned village. The girl began to book it toward the windows of the complex, jumping from the window before hitching a ride on the same phoenix that had kidnapped Junior.

The night sky seemed to full of the comedic sounds caw of the phoenix as it flew off in the distance, as well as the sound of it hacking up some sort of mucus covered ball of feathers. Mandy looked down at the Junior. Once again, she was rethinking this entire marriage. These kids, everything. Everyday there seemed to be another attempt on the kidnapping of these kids and somehow she is suppose to love them. Loving much of anything was the one thing she did not intend on happening until she was well lost to oblivion with no chance of existence.

As Mandy returned home, night had already began to fall upon the ever gloomy landscape. She had rushed the now sleeping Junior up to his room, Laying him down in his bed. Giving a sigh, she laid a blanket lazily over him. She marched into the study, downstairs. Collapsing in a chair and groaning loudly.

"I hate kids..." she sighed.

"I don't suppose dat means you had a good day?" Mandy turned around quickly, finding Grim walking toward her from the far end of the room, "I notice you took my-"

"Your scrapbook diary?" she cut him off.

"My journal!" cried a frustrated Grim, trying to maintain the masculinity of his hobby.

"Whatever you call it. It's a scrapbook, Grim."

Grim grumbled, "So how was your day wit Junior?"

"The brat got kidnapped, the usual."

"I suppose dere isn't too much different going on den. How'd you get rid of de kidnapper?"

"I didn't."

"Well dat's a first." Grim's curiosity rose, "what exactly happened?"

"Grim, there was this kid. She was ugly as sin. But something was different about her?"

"You mean as ugly as you before the pa-"

"Not the time or the place bone head. I'm in no mood." Mandy growled.

"Cool yourself down child!" Grim waved his hands out in front of him "Alright den, what be so special about dis girl?"

"She felt familiar yet different. Like I knew her from somewhere. She said her name was, Harmonia." Mandy crossed her legs and pensively stared into the fire burning next to her chair "This girl felt out of kilter yet, perfectly in balance."

"Never heard of any ugly children by dat name or description. Course, I bring people out of de world, not into."

"So you know nothing of this girl then?"

"As far as tings go, you know more dan I do."

Mandy remained quiet. She felt all that could be said had been said. Unless you wanted to get into needless chit-chat about each others day. Mandy hated the idea, though Grim felt it would be good for the two of them. With nothing else to do but go lay in their bed until she eventually fell asleep, she asked, keeping direct contact out of this, "So how was the day with Minnie?"

"It was good. For de most part. She wanted to go to dat tree in de ruined church. I never liked churches."

"Seemed alright with it when you were a nun."

Grim pointed a finger and sighed, "Dat was den, Mandy!"

"Kind of like your scrapbook. Hey, I don't judge you much more than most people in the underworld."

"What's dat suppose to mean!"

Mandy gave a slight smirk, "I think I'm going to head to bed, Grim." she rose from her chair and made for the door.

"I'll be making clippings for my journal."

"Scrapbook." Mandy said as she exited the room.

"Journal!"

* * *

><p>The next few weeks went as normal as ever. Grim would make his usual rounds around the world, presenting himself at catastrophe after catastrophe, then come home and talk about the usual old man who thought he would cheat death and through some miraculous force of idiocy, would escape. Everyday as he came home it was the same old,<p>

"I think I'm living in a cartoon! Some of the stuff that happens could never happen to any other reaper!" of which, Mandy would crack a smirk.

As far as this last week was ultimately concerned, Grim had been having a rough week. Megaville was having all kinds of trouble and even more death's than Grim had felt was suitable for a city filled with heroes. He was wondering if any of them were taking their jobs seriously.

This day in particular started a bit differently than the others. As Mandy was waking up, a courier had stopped in with a letter. Mandy groggily rolled from her bed, looking out at the courier. He was blushing slightly, seeing Mandy in her night gown. She took the package, closing the door on the courier. She looked over the nicely wrapped package, the ribbon getting glitter everywhere. There were plenty of scales and balances on the packaging.

She opened it reluctantly, not exactly trusting it, but feeling confident enough to just open it. Inside the package was a necklace.

"Probably that Judge I bribed..." she sighed, "told him to leave me alone."


End file.
